Safety device for header-elevators.



No. 666,90l. Patented Jan. 29, l 90l. J. MACPHAIL.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR HEADER ELEVATORS. (Application mm Nov. 22, 1900.) (NoModel.)

101m e5: r Inventor;

NiTEn STATES JAMES MAOPHAIL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THEDEERING HARVESTER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR HEADER-ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,901, dated January29, 1901.

Application filed November 22, 1900. Serial No. 37,375. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES MACPHAIL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in SafetyDevices for Header-Elevators; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

The in vention relates especially to harvesters of the type known asheaders, and the purpose of the invention is to protect theheader-elevator from injury due to collisions and other accidentalcontact with obstacles. In this class of machines, as is Wellunderstood, the elevator is pivotally connected atits lower end to theharvester-frame and its upper end is suspended, overhanging the side ofthe machine, by ropes or cords attached at their outer ends to the upperportion of the elevatorframe and connected at their inner ends to somefixed point on the harvester-frame, preferably in a position to beconveniently reached by the driver. In connection with this arrangementa box like receptacle that is mounted upon wheels and is separate fromthe harvester usually accompanies the machine, so as to receive thegrain as it is delivered from the elevator. When this box is full, it isdriven off to the thresher, and when its load has been emptied it isreturned to position under the end of the overhanging elevator, ready tobe filled again.

In returning the header-box to position it often collides with theelevator-frame, owing to accident or carelessness on the part of thedriver, and the object of my invention is to protect the elevator frominjury due to such collisions by providing it with a guard which isconnected to the elevator-frame and projects in a position to be struckby a wagon or other object and is soconnected with the raising andlowering mechanism of the elevatorframe that the outer end of theelevator-frame is lifted out of the way.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following descriptionin connection with the drawings forming part of this specification,wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of theelevator-frame, and Fig. 2 is an elevation looking at the outer end ofthe elevator, the header box or receptacle being indicated in dottedlines and the action of lifting the frame being also shown in dottedlines.

Referring to the views, A denotes an elevator-frame of any ordinaryconstruction,carrying the usual slatted canvas a, which travels aroundrollers at the upperand lower ends of the frame in the usual manner. Theconnection of this frame with the harvesteris not illustrated in thedrawings, for the reason that it forms no part of the present inventionand may be made in any one of many well-known ways. At its upper end theelevator-frame is provided with a cross-piece b, to which is attachedthe usual pulley 0, over which runs the cord or rope d, by means ofwhich the outer end of the elevator is suspended and by means of whichits vertical position may be adjusted. As above indicated, the inner endof this rope is attached at some fixed point to the harvester-frame, andin the present invention I connect the outer end to an arm or lever 6,preferably passing the rope through a pulley f, carried by the upper endof the lever, and attaching its extreme end to the cross-bar b. Thelever 6 forms part of the guard or safety device, which is the mainfeature of my invention. The preferred form of this guard consists of aroller B, extending lengthwise of the elevator-frame and having itslower end journaled in a bracket 1) and its upper end similarlyjournaled in the lower end of the arm 6. The roller may be of anydesired length and may be located on either or both sides of theelevator and should extend along that part of the frame most likely tobe struck in case of accidental collisions. The arm 6 is pivoted aboutmidway between its ends to the elevator-frame-for example, at g-and isconnected below the pivot to the elevator by means of a chain or otherflexible connection h, the object of which is to limit the outwardmovement of the arm e, and consequently the roller B, from the side ofthe elevator frame.

The elevator being suspended at its outer end by the rope d, it will beunderstood that the weight of the frame, pulling on the upper end of thearm 6, causes its lower end to stand out from the side of the frame, asindicated in full lines in the drawings. so that any object which wouldotherwise strike the elevator-frame would first contact with the roller.As indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, any object striking the rollerwould rock the lever e on its pivot and throw its upper end into theposition shown in dotted lines,

thereby taking up the cord or rope (Z and causing the outer end of theelevator to rise free of the obstruction into the position indicated indotted lines in Fig. 2. The height to which the elevator may thus belifted depends upon the length of the arm a and the amount of movementthe roller B is allowed to have before it contacts with the side of theframe A.

I believe myself to be the first to provide a header-elevator with anysort of a guard or safety device. that is so connected to the raisingand lowering mechanism as to cause the elevator to bethus lifted in caseof collisions, and I do not therefore desire to be limited to positionto protect it from collisions, said guard being connected with theraising and lowering mechanism so as to lift the elevator on beingstruck.

2. In a harvester, the combination with the header-elevator A, of aguard B extending along the elevator-frame,the cord or rope (Z forraising or lowering the frame, and a connection between said cord orrope and the guard, whereby any obstacle striking the guard will liftthe elevatorframe.

3. In a harvester, the combination with the header-elevator A, of acordor rope (l for raising and lowering the same, a guard B extending alongthe elevator, an arm or lever e to the lower end of which the guard B isconnected, and a connection between the cord or rope d and the upper endof the lever, whereby any obstacle striking the guard will rock thelever and lift the elevator-frame.

4. In a harvester, the combination with the header-elevator A, of thecord or rope (I for raising and lowering the same, a guard 13 extendingalong the elevator-frame, and an arm or lever e pivoted between its endsto the frame and carrying one end of the guard B at its lower end, theupper end of said lever being connected with the cord-or rope d, and thelower end being limited in its outward movement by means of the chain orother connection It.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAS. MAOPHAIL.

Witnesses:

CHAS. N. CHAMBERS, J. H. PITKIN.

